Marathoner Angad Kumar eyes Olympic qualification

Indian Army's Angad Kumar, the runner-up (among Indians) of last edition's Mumbai Marathon, will take the field this Sunday eyeing an Olympic berth by achieving the 2hr-18 min qualification mark. Kumar feels the Mumbai Marathon is a golden opportunity for Indian athletes to qualify for the London event.

Angad Kumar

"My only intension is to participate in the marathon and achieve the qualification mark for the Olympics. I've been training hard for the last two months at Pune's Army Sports Institute. I am sure many others are also participating targeting the Olympic berth," said Kumar who clocked 2hr, 24mins, 32secs in the last edition.

Kumar, however, feels Mumbai's cool climate will help him better his timing. "I have heard the weather in Mumbai is much cooler compared to the previous years. I do not want to leave this opportunity and will try to give my best," he said.

On the marathon beginning 15 minutes earlier than last year, Kumar said, "The 7:25am start is a huge relief. We athletes will get more opportunity to run in the cool weather. It would have been even better had the race started at 7 am."